Give Her, Her Flowers is a series of collages that revolve around honoring Black women—giving them their flowers while they’re still alive and well to enjoy them, as opposed to waiting until they are sick or deceased to show this kind of gesture. The series includes advertisements of Black women from a Gold Medal Hair Products catalog (circa 1980s), paired with a variety of flowers from different advertisements.
“Your Eyes Only” is a collage animation that revolves around the Black body accepting rest as a priority, rather than a reward. The title also presents the question: exactly who is allowed to view the protagonist in this intimate moment?
Artist Bios
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Rachel Elise Thomas
Rachel Elise Thomas (b. 1988) is a Detroit-born and based artist and designer who obtained their BFA in Photography from the College for Creative Studies. Her work has been featured in numerous exhibitions, print and digital publications.
Being a collage artist and documentary photographer has given her the versatility to tell stories in different ways. She gathers inspiration from vintage magazines and advertisements, family artifacts, old photographs, decorative paper, textiles and printed words; assembling imagery and materials that invite the viewer to deeply examine the messages being presented. These messages revolve around identity, ancestry and spirituality. With topics sometimes having tongue-in-cheek nuances, this is done as a way to further understand and delve into issues that affect our society—such as: overconsumption, vanity, materialism, colorism, sexism and racism.
Organizations
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Photoville
Founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, NY, Photoville was built on the principles of addressing cultural equity and inclusion, which we are always striving for, by ensuring that the artists we exhibit are diverse in gender, class, and race.
In pursuit of its mission, Photoville produces an annual, city-wide open air photography festival in New York City, a wide range of free educational community initiatives, and a nationwide program of public art exhibitions.
By activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition and programming environments, we join the cause of nurturing a new lens of representation.
Through creative partnerships with festivals, city agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, Photoville offers visual storytellers, educators, and students financial support, mentorship, and promotional & production resources, on a range of exhibition opportunities.
For more information about Photoville visit, www.photoville.com
Give Her, Her Flowers
Featuring: Rachel Elise Thomas
Locations
View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Pier 3 Granite TerraceFurman St,
Brooklyn,
NY 11201
Location open 24 hours
